Means for lubricating tension shackles of automobiles



- May 12,1925.

F. H. GLEASON ME .s FOR LUBRICATING TENSION 'SHACKLES OF AUTOMOBILES Filed July 18. 1925 I NVEIVTOR drawings,-'i's. a full, clear,

' Patented May 12 1925.

'i'i-sszon FREDERICK H. GLEASON, g'iEUAUBURN, NEW YORK,

MEANS FOR LIIBRICATING TENSION SHAGKLES OF AUTOMOBILES.

Zipplication filed July 18,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it -knownthat- I, Fmannmorc H. GLEA- soN, a! citizen of the United States of America, ofAuburn, in the county of 5 Cayuga, in-the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Means for Lubricating Tension Shackles of Automobiles, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying and exact descript on.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in means for lubricating tension shacklesfofautomobiles, par

ticularly designed for use in connection with chassislubricating systems for automobiles.

The main object of the invention is to supply lubricant from a single source equally to the upper and lower shackle bolts in a simple. economic and etiicient manner.

Other objects and advantages relate to the details of construction, form and arrangement of the parts of the apparatus,

all as will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a rear view of a tension shackle of an automobile embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a side view .of the same. Figure 3 is a section Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4, Figure 1. 3

As illustrated in the drawings, the rear shackle hanger bracket 1 is attached to the frame part 17 of an automobile in any suitable and ordinary manner. as by rivets -4O-, the hanger bracket -1- being provided with a lubricant-sumaly tube --13 attached to the hanger -1-- by means of a tubing nut 12r and tubing sleeve 11--of ordinary and well known construction. The supply tube -13- is thus placed in direct communication with a bore or passage -10- extending from the tube through the hanger bracket to the bore or transverse opening through the bracket provided for holding the lower shackle bolt -2-. The shackle bolt 2 is attached to the hanger -lby means of a castellated nut -4land cotter pin ---3- when the head -42 is in contact with the end of the swing tension shackle ---l 9, which shackle is provided with a bushing --2(l---- in a bore at its lower end, the bushing in turn taken on line 3--3 19:3. seam. 652,373.

being mounted upon the lower shackle bolt 2- between the head -42-.- of said bolt and'the end of the hanger bracket -1. The bushing -20- is provided with an annular groove -21- on its outside surface and with a here or passage -22-- extending thruthe wall of the bushing for conveying lubricant to the exterior of the bolt '-2' i V i The upper shackle bolt -24 is held in place in the bosses -43- and -44 formed respectively in the upper ends of the spaced arms of the shackle by means of castellatednut 45 and cotter pin --.31 when the head tact with the outer surface'of the boss 44,; This bolt -24--supports the spring-eye -30 which is provided with a bushing 32 1 mounted on the bolt -21- between the bosses -43 and -44 I The head -33 of the bolt -24; is flattened at opposite sides so as to fit into a milled slot -46- formed in the outer surface of the boss 44l. The bolt 2-1- is further provided with a longitudinal bore or'conduit -25 in communication with lateral or radial. bores -,26 and 28- leading to circumferential grooves 27 and 29 respectively in the periphery or outer surfaceofthe bolt--2 l-. The tube -23- attached at its upper end to substantially the central portion of the boss -l4-- is. in communication with the peripheral groove 29-,- in the -bolt'-24- thru a passageway extending thru the boss --44-. This pipe -r23 projects into an opening or passageway extending thru the lower boss '-47 oi the shackle -19 and may be secured thereto in any lubricant-tight mannerand constitl'ltes a passageway for conveyinglubricant from'the annular groove -29 of the upper shackle bolt --2 l to the peripheral groove -21- extending around the outer surface of the bushing 20 and from. said peripheral groove,

--21 thru radial passageway or opening -22- to the circumferential groove -18- extending around the surface of the lower shackle bolt -Q--.

It will be obvious that the communicati 111 between the peripheral grooves -29- and 2l ma be effected in various ways equivalent to the use of the tube EB-as for illustration by forming a bore thru the tension shackle --l9-- and leading directly from one groove to the other.

33-- of the bolt is in con- Means of communication is provided between the bore 7-' 1n the lower shackle bolt and the, bore 25-- in the upper shackle bolt whereby lubricant may flow from the tube "13-"'to the bore -25- and thence to the peripheral groove -18-, and as 1llustrated this means is in the form of a tube -15.- attached to the upper shackle bolt by means of tubing nut -52 and sleeve 51-.- of ordinary construction, the outer end of the bore -25- being internally threaded for cooperation with thetubing x The lower end of the tube is at- 'tachedto the lower shackle bolt 2 by means'of a swivel connection comprising an expanded oppositely tapered projection 3elof the tube .-l5-, the standard tublug nut l2-'- haviag a threaded engagement with the enlarged or chambered outer portion of the bore -7 the gasket 1 1 for rendering such engagement lubricanttight, the thrust washer 5 mounted on the tube '-15- forward of the .-34 and the spring -6 bea'ring at one end against the shoulder -4S. and at its opposite end against the washer '5 to hold the enlarged oppositely tapered portion 34 of the tube 15- in tight engagement with a counter-sunk or tapered vscat formed in the inner end of the tubing nut l2--, all as illustrated in my copending application Serial No. 657,372, filed July 19, 1923, upon swivel connection. The bolt 2 isp'referably provided with a. circumferential groove -54- adjacent the point of termination of the bore+l0 so that lubricant is fed from the tube 13 to the circumferential channel -54;- and thence thru radial bore -55 in the bolt -2- to the longitudinal bore --7- which may, as shown, extend only partially thru thebolt -2+ and leads from the radial bore -55-- to the tube -l5. The operation of this construction will be well understood. p 3 p The satisfactory lubrication of shackle bolts of this character requires only a very small amount of lubricant, the bores of the rate the structure. Therefore, in order to assure that bolts -7- and -24. are p'ositivcly supolied with lubricant when only a small volume is used, it is, quite necessary lo rel ase the lubricant at the top point of the unit when it will be distributed by gravity and normal creeping action in sub stautiully equal quantities to bothvbolts. The lubricant supplied through tube l8- passes iliru bore -l0 to the annular groove ll'm' u'u radial bore 'tcths hmgitudii 4 Thence the h an! pa i i tube --15- to the lonigtliul ml hi 1 t;,- in the bolt- 'spring-eye -30.- T e annular with the tube -23- enlargement tube connecting the longitudinal bores in tubes and bolts holding many times the volume actually required to properlylubri and then upwardly thru lateral bores 26 and i2 feeding out into the circular grooves 27-- and 29- in equal quantities, regardless of the volume of lubricant fed thru tube -.-l3. The lubricant feeding thru bore ,26 fills the annular groove -27-- and lubricates the shackle bolt, which bolt oscillates in bushin -32- mounted in groove a space or small 76' 7-always provides reservoir in which some oil is trapped and stored. The lubricant feeding thru the radial bore 28 passes into the annular groove '29- which is in communicationand provides passage 0. for the lubricant to the annular groove -21 on the outside of the bushing 20- in the lower part of shackle 19. The

- radial bore -22- is adapted to convey this lubricant to the annular groove 18 in i the lower shackle bolt from which the lubricant spreads out to lubricate bolt -2-" in the bushing -20- of the shackle 19 The .movement of spring 30- causes shackle -'19 to oscillate or swivel on bolt 99 which is attached in a stationary manner to the hanger bracket 1- and the swivel connection of tube l5+ with bolt 2 permits of the required relative move ment between tube '15-- and bolt -2- without leakage of lubricant i Altho I have shown and described a specific constrtl'ction asillustrative of an emb-odiment of my inventiomI do not desire to restrict myself to the details of form, construction or arrangement of thediscloscd apparatus, as various changes may be made in each without departing from the invention as set forth in the appended claims.v

claim '1. In a structure of'the class described, a hanger bracket a 5 bolt aving one end mounted in'sai hanger-bracket, a shackle mounted on said bolt, said bolt formed with a longitudinal bore, means for supplying no lubricant to the longitudinalbore in said bolt, an upper shackle-bolt mounted in said shackle and having a longitudinal bore, a

means of communication between the longi turlinal bore in the upper bolt and the bearing surface of the lower bolt for supplying lubricant to the latter from thetormer. 2,7 In a structure of the class described, a hanger bracket. a bolt having, one end mounted in said hanger bracket, a shackle mounted on the other end of the bolt, said bolt formed with a longitudinal bore and a radial bore leading to the longitudinal bore. said bracket formed with a bore leading to the radial bore in the bolt, an up er lzle bolt mounted in said shackle and mo having a longitudinal bore and a radial bore, and a tu e connectin said longitudinal bores in the bolts and avin a swiveling connection with one of said ores.

' 3. In a structure of the class described, a hanger bracket, a bolt having 'one end mounted in said hanger bracket,-a' shackle tube connecting the longitudinal boresin said bolts, and havin' a swiveling connection with one of sai bolts, for carrying lubricant from the longitudinal bore in the lower bolt to the longitudinal bore in the upper bolt, and means of communication between the longitudinal bore in the upper bolt and the bearin surface of the lower bolt for supplying ubri'cant to the latter from the former.

4. In a structure of the class described, a lower shackle bolt having a longitudinal bore, a shackle mounted on said-bolt, an up-- per shackle bolt mounted in said shackle and having a longitudinal bore, and spaced radial bores, means for supplying lubricant to the longitudinal bore in the lower shackle bolt, a conduit for conveying lubricant from the bore in the lower shackle bolt to the longitudinal bore in the upper shackle bolt,

and a conduit for conveying lubricant from one of said radial bores to the exterior surface of the lower shackle bolt.

5. In a structure of the class described hanger bracket a lower shackle bol 'on said bolt foroscillatory movement thereon, an upper shackle bolt mounted in said shackle and having a longitudinal bore and a radial bore leading from the longitudinal bore to the periphery of the bolt and having its opposite ends connected to the ends of said bolts and in communication with the. respective bores therein for conveying lubricant from one to the other, and a conduit in communication with the ion itudinal bore in the upper bolt and with the outer surface of the lower bolt.

6; In astructure of the class described, a lower shackle bolt having a longitudinal bore and a circumferential groove and a radial bore leading from the longitudinal bore to the groove, a hanger bracket carrying said bolt and having a bore leading to said groove, a shackle mounted on said bolt, an upper shackle bolt mounted in said shackle and having a longitudinal bore, and a plurality of radial bores leading from the longitudinal bore to the periphery of the bolt, said bolt formed with annular grooves in communication with the radial bores, a tube connected to the ends of said bolts and forming means of communication between the respective "longitudinal bores, one of said connections permitting relative movement between the tube and the bolt, and conduitleading from one of the annular grooves in the upper bolt to the exterior surface of the lower bolt.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of July, 1923 FREDERICK H. GLEASQN.

' Witnesses: mounted in said hanger bracket and hav ing a longitudinal bore, a shackle mounted C. A. Bacon, E. M. Saronon.

all? 

